Kornet or Al?

[liam]

After this year we have two guys expiring, AL and Kornet. Which one do you keep and will Kornet get some kind of big offer? Some teams with money might overpay Kornet. He's a great fit here but not be a great fit elsewhere. Al was a great fit here but a bad fit when Philly stole him...

[Phantom255x]

Depends if Horford retires or not.

I'd keep Kornet but if he gets paid elsewhere, just got to hope a ring-chasing big wants to come here for the minimum. I would still keep Horford if he doesn't retire, unless he's brutally bad in the postseason. But Horford still can play pretty good defense on guys like Giannis/Embiid, etc.

[liam]

Depends if Horford retires or not.

I'd keep Kornet but if he gets paid elsewhere, just got to hope a ring-chasing big wants to come here for the minimum. I would still keep Horford if he doesn't retire, unless he's brutally bad in the postseason. But Horford still can play pretty good defense on guys like Giannis/Embiid, etc.

It's probably more of a business decision than a basketball one. If you can get Al to a vet min. and sign Luke to a team friendly contract then I would hope they would do it. But all that money is doubled due to the tax.

[Roy H.]

Hopefully they're both back on sub-$5 million deals.

[Neurotic Guy]

It would be nice to keep Luke and Al but I think the Cs will be ok either way, even if they lose both.  If I had to choose one, I?ll keep Luke on a multi year 8M.

Continue Qs development. Trade Jrue (plus) for a big. Draft a project big at 28 or 31. Entice a ring chaser.  A number of ways to adequately replace Al and*or Luke.

[Silas]

I've always liked Al and we probably would not have won #18 without him last year.  He shot about 42% from 3 last season and 45% the previous season.  He is a solid defender and a good passer and a great teammate.  That said, this year I see a different Al.  His rebounding is down and so are his assists.  His 3 point shooting has dropped to 35% and his overall FG % has dropped to 41%.  The man clearly has trouble around the basket making shots, and he is 38 years old and not getting younger.  On the other hand...

Luke's game has grown these past two seasons.  I believe he now is a better defender than Al.  I know he won't shoot 3s by direction of Joe and as a result he spends most of his time in the paint.  Like our old friend Rob, Luke's FG% for the past few years hovers between 65-70%.  He is solid around the basket and like Al has good basketball skills and is a decent passer. Oh, and BTW, he is 29 years old.

So back to the question...Kornet or Al?  It would be good to have Al (on a minimum contract) on the bench to fill in when needed if he decides not to retire.  I believe that Luke needs to stay with the team as it's backup 5 to KP next season.  At times the team seems to play better with Luke on the floor with the starters rather than KP.  I'm not suggesting Luke is KPs equal, but my eyes show me that many times the team plays better with Luke on the floor.  So if it's a choice next season between one or the other, today I would pick Luke.  I'm ready to be dumped on....

[Muzzy66]

Horford has not looked great this year.  I'm not too sure if that's straight up due to age, or if he's just taking it easy trying to stay healthy for the playoffs. 

Kornet has really shown he fits very well with this team. As a 7'2" guy he moves his feet surprisingly well.  He has strong defensive impact around the basket, is an excellent rebounder, and very efficient offensively around the basket.

One thing that makes this decision hard is that Al has a tendency to make game winning plays come playoff time, and there have been times in the playoffs where Kornet has seemed to really struggle and somewhat disappear.  This makes me thing that Kornet is probably more valuable in the regular season, while Horford is probably more valuable in the playoffs - though it's hard to say if that will be true again this season given Horford's age and Kornet's increased playoff experience and confidence in his role. 

It's hard to put a price on leadership ability.  When the team gets down or starts losing focus Al is the type of guy who can come out and calm guys down, get them in the right mindset.  Likewise the team last year was I think extra motivated to win because they wanted to get Al a ring, and even in this coming year maybe trying to get a second ring for Al might help give the team that little bit of extra motivation. 

I think the Celtics will try their best to bring Kornet back if they are realistically capable of doing so.  He knows the system, he's proven, and he's a good locker room guy who everybody seems to love - and Brad seems high on him. 

As for Al - I think he'll likely retire after this season.  The man is 38 years old, he's had a fantastic career, and he has achieve that ultimate goal now of winning a championship. It made sense for him to stick around for this final year of his contact and try to get a second ring, but once his contract is up there probably isn't THAT much more out there for him to chase after unless he just wants to play a bit longer for the love of the game.  If he does come back I expect he'll want to retire a Celtic and will probably sign a vet min deal to stay for another year or two. 

[satch]

Luke does not have a bad looking foul shot. I think eventually he could develop a three-point shot.

[Silas]

Luke does not have a bad looking foul shot. I think eventually he could develop a three-point shot.

Luke knows how to shoot 3s.  His first couple of years with the Knicks he averaged 4 attempts a game between 35.4 and 36.3%.  Since joining the Cs he has stopped shooting 3s.

[Neurotic Guy]

Luke does not have a bad looking foul shot. I think eventually he could develop a three-point shot.

Luke knows how to shoot 3s.  His first couple of years with the Knicks he averaged 4 attempts a game between 35.4 and 36.3%.  Since joining the Cs he has stopped shooting 3s.

Could definitely be a three threat. But he?s been great to have on the O boards.  I like him focusing on that part of his game.  Maybe he can develop a little hook.

[radiohead]

I think Al retires if we get he back to back. Or maybe he sticks around for the minimum just because he loves being around his teammates. I predict Luke to stay as well, with a healthy raise. If we come up short, Al probably retires and we move on from Luke too.

[wdleehi]

Since Tillman is a disappointment, I imagine they want to try and keep both if Al still wants to play.   I believe the combine cost of the two of them will go down, even if one of them individually goes up.   


Otherwise, it is trying to find a vet min guy.   

[Roy H.]

Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
yesterday
Incredible. Al Horford, asked if #Celtics are getting back to themselves, gives some unprompted praise: ?I feel like Luke Kornet has been key for us ? because of that I feel like all of us are stepping it up a little.?

It's cool that Luke's effort is pushing the rest of the team.

[Phantom255x]

Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
yesterday
Incredible. Al Horford, asked if #Celtics are getting back to themselves, gives some unprompted praise: ?I feel like Luke Kornet has been key for us ? because of that I feel like all of us are stepping it up a little.?

It's cool that Luke's effort is pushing the rest of the team.

Leading by example!

[Donoghus]

I do wonder if Al retires after this season if they win the title. 

They're be some beautiful career synergy in him finishing his college career with back to back national titles and wrapping up his pro career with back to back NBA titles.